Player Ratings: U.S. (6) vs. Guatemala (0)

In its only exhibition before Tuesday’s Gold Cup opener, the United States national team cruised to a lopsided win over Guatemala in a game that was a tale of two halves Friday night in San Diego.

The starting lineup for the U.S had an average age of 29.27 years, which indicated that Coach Jurgen Klinsmann is taking the Gold Cup seriously and has little interest in experimenting with untested players. With an older lineup, the first half was boring and stale with little attacking.

In the second half, the U.S team was bolstered by the inclusion of Brek Shea, Stuart Holden and Mix Diskerud who changed the course of the game. The tactical adjustments showed this team’s potential to play attacking soccer.

It is dangerous to draw too many conclusions from the game since Guatemala is clearly rebuilding. Still, the most important lesson learned for Klinsmann is that both Landon Donovan and Holden have plenty to offer. Donovan looked motivated, and Holden looked sharp and healthy. If both players are back to their form of a few years ago, it will be an enormous boost to the U.S team one year away from the World Cup.

The Gold Cup will be a more thorough test but for now Klinsmann’s team will have momentum as it attempts to win back the regional title.

Michael Parkhust The Augsburg-based right back was not heavily involved in the game. He looked decent defensively and did not push forward all that much. Grade: 5

Oguchi Onyewu It has been a difficult season for Onyewu after hardly playing for Málaga but in his return to the U.S team, he was given the task of defending against a Guatemalan team inept at attacking. Grade: 5

Clarence Goodson Similar to Onyewu, Goodson did not have much to do. He looked shaky defensively a few times in the first half but settled down. His second half goal was the result of determination in staying with the play after his initial shot was saved. Grade: 5.5

DaMarcus Beasley After being named the Gold Cup captain, Beasley was the best player in the first half. In the second half he continued to be active as the team improved. It was a complete performance from a player who looks like a safe bet to be playing in his fourth World Cup next year. Grade: 6.5

Kyle Beckerman Defensively Beckerman was fine in the first half and made safe passes when he had the ball. As a defensive midfielder that is fine against quality opponents but against Guatemala, more should be expected. When he was replaced at the half, the team was much more effective in overwhelming Guatemala. Grade: 5

Jose Torres It was not a strong half for Torres even if he assisted on Herculez Gomez’s goal. For his club, Tigres, he is usually given a deeper playmaking role but for the U.S team he is asked to create more in the final third. He struggled in the first half to link the ball into the attack but got lucky when his assist, originally intended for Joe Corona, found its way to Gomez. The consistency of the attack was vastly improved after he left the game. Grade: 4.5

Joe Corona After a successful season with Club Tijuana, Corona has not been able to get an extended look from Klinsmann. Playing near his hometown and where he played in college at San Diego State, Corona had a rare chance to show he belonged. He had a few nice moments in the game but he is capable of more than he showed. In the first half he turned the ball over too many times but picked it up in the second half as the entire team improved. Grade: 5

Landon Donovan All eyes were on Donovan entering the match after being dropped by Klinsmann for nearly 11 months. He did not disappoint in his return, scoring his 50th and 51st international goals and consistently looking dangerous in the second half when combining with Holden in the midfield. June was a great month for the U.S team in World Cup qualifying but the addition of a motivated Donovan could make for even a better year. Grade: 7.5

Edgar Castillo Playing out of position at left midfield, Castillo was given a chance to provide width to the U.S attack. In the first half he had a few nice runs up the left flank but in general he turned the ball over too many times. Grade: 4.5

Herculez Gomez In the first half, the U.S team looked disjointed and Gomez’s goal was the bright spot. It was a solid performance from the veteran. Grade: 6

Substitutes

Mix Diskerud Until tonight, Diskerud has quietly been doing well in Norway but has never really been given much of an opportunity with the national team. Tonight was his performance to show he belonged and the Norway-born Diskerud was masterly in dictating the game against the Guatemalans. The Norwegian federation was hoping recently to persuade him to return to its program but he will surely be cap-tied to the U.S team at the Gold Cup. His performance showed that he could be a huge asset to the U.S team in the years ahead. Grade: 7.5

Stuart Holden After a lackluster first half, Holden entered the game for his first serious minutes with the U.S team since 2010. Holden had an entire half to show how much progress he has made since sustaining a run of serious injuries dating to early 2011. He not only dominated the game, but he looked like the player who shined in the Premier League three years ago. His vision and passing were outstanding and he was the primary reason why the team was able to score five goals in the second half. The central midfield combo of Holden/Diskerud is one that looks like a safe bet to see significant minutes at the Gold Cup. Grade: 8

Alejandro Bedoya It has been a great year for the New Jersey-born Bedoya who has been one of the best players in the Swedish Allsvenskan and looks set for a move to a bigger club this summer. He normally plays as a central attacking midfielder at the club level but Klinsmann has decided to play Bedoya out of position on the right wing. He was not as involved as the other substitutes but picked up the final goal of the game (and his first international goal) to conclude the rout. Grade: 5.5

Will Bruin After having entered the game when the U.S was overwhelming the Guatemalans, Bruin found himself in dangerous positions multiple times but was unable to capitalize. He will get more chances in the Gold Cup but his performance against Guatemala was not one to remember. Grade: 4.5

Chris Wondolowski Up to this point, Wondolowski’s career has shown that goal scoring at the club level does not always translate to the international game. On Friday, the reigning M.L.S scoring leader finally found the back of the net with a second half goal. The goal will not silence his critics but it could give Wondolowski some much needed confidence ahead of the Gold Cup. Klinsmann will need a second forward option besides Gomez at the Gold Cup and a confident Wondolowski easily has the talent to overmatch Concacaf opponents. Grade: 6

Brek Shea It has been a difficult year for Shea who has been battling injuries since November. Against Guatemala, he was rusty but also showed he can be a handful to defend. He looked healthy and physically fit for the first time since last year. The U.S team still needs wide players and Shea will continue to be in the mix the rest of this cycle if he can earn consistent minutes this season at Stoke City. He is not on the Gold Cup team and will return to Stoke for preseason. Grade: 6

Coach

Jurgen Klinsmann His starting lineup struggled but his adjustments were perfect. Initially he expected most of the midfield creativity to come from Corona and Torres but the team looked out of ideas in the final third during the first half. He also was hoping Castillo would be effective out of position on the left wing. While those moves did not work out, the substitutions were perfect as Diskerud, Holde, and Shea changed the game. Klinsmann also made a great decision when he moved Donovan off the wing and into center of the attack. That adjustment brought out the best in Donovan. Klinsmann now likely has several players who should be added to the main team and getting these pieces to fit will be a challenge. That is a question for another day as tonight was a success. Grade: 7